


Short-Circuited

by mikachuchu



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: DJWifi, F/M, Fluff, Humour, Rating: PG13, Tik Tok Challenge, adrienette - Freeform, electric Love, finals week does that to a person, ml totographs zine, the kids are stressed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-21 21:53:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30028377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikachuchu/pseuds/mikachuchu
Summary: Nothing good can come out of final's week; the combination of cramming for exams and sleep deprivation could lead to nothing but disaster. Add in a certain TikTok challenge and a very loopy just-a-good-friend named Marinette, and Adrien Agreste is done for.Written for the ML Totographs Zine!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 4
Kudos: 123
Collections: Totographs Zine





	Short-Circuited

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was written for the ML Totographs zine!  
> I highly recommend checking it out so you can read this fic (and many others) along with the amazing art that goes with it! It has art, comics and stories that were all made by very talented creators and it's free to download [here!](https://totographszine.tumblr.com/post/645570117308121088/the-day-youve-been-waiting-for-has-finally)

Ah, finals week. A hellish experience for any student. Trying to recall months’ worth of information in a matter of days was no easy feat. Studying was time consuming and draining enough for Alya without chasing down superheroes and running the most popular blog in the country. There was nothing she wanted more than to curl up in a ball and die, and yet, her bestie had it even worse.

Alya had warned Marinette that taking commissions from Jagged Stone during exam season wasn’t the best idea. But in true Marinette fashion, she just had to bite off more than she could chew.

“How can I say no?” Marinette had said. “My idol wearing one of _my_ designs all over the world? I can’t pass up an opportunity like that! Besides, it’s not his fault his world tour kicks off right in the middle of finals week.”

Alya sighed as she watched the disaster unfold from the relative safety of Marinette’s chaise. Marinette was working herself into a whirlwind, bouncing between reviewing notes, sewing a jacket for Jagged, and planning the end of school party as class representative. She rolled around her bedroom on her desk chair between her sewing machine, her computer, and her chaise, where she left her notes with Alya. She was a mess and her room showed it.

Alya tried her best to stay clear of hurricane Marinette Dupain-Cheng but it was only a matter of time before someone got hurt. As she rolled over to get her sketchbook, Marinette barely avoided running over Alya’s foot.

“Marinette!” she yelped, pulling her knees to her chest. “Could you stop for just one second? You almost crushed my foot!”

“Sorry, can’t!” Marinette called as she rolled over to her sewing machine, her tongue sticking out of her mouth in concentration. “Now, read me the next question.”

“Alright, fine. In what year did Marinette Dupain-Cheng run herself into the ground?” Alya was almost surprised to see Marinette take a moment from her work to glare at her.

“I won’t run myself into the ground.”

“Nope, the answer I was looking for was 2020.” Having had enough of her friend’s antics, Alya got up to cross the room, pulling Marinette away from the sewing machine and back over to the chaise, where she collapsed as soon as she sat down. “Look at you! When was the last time you got any sleep?”

“What day is it again?” The dark circles under Marinette’s eyes were getting more and more noticeable by the day. Her hair was unkempt, and now that she stopped moving, it was clear that she was having a hard time staying awake.

“The fact that you even have to ask is concerning.”

Despite the glare she gave her, Marinette made herself comfortable on Alya’s shoulder. “Look, I’m fine!”

Alya didn’t believe that for a second.

“It’s just when I stop moving that it catches up with me …” Marinette let out a yawn.

“Right.” For the sake of her best friend’s well-being, Alya started rubbing a hand up and down her back, slowly coaxing her to sleep. “Get some rest. You know you want to …”

It didn’t take long for Marinette’s eyelids to start closing. She was obviously struggling to keep them open. “This … this is betrayal …” No matter how hard she tried to fight it, sleep slowly yet surely began to overtake her.

_Success._

* * *

**Alya:** alright nino, pay up. i’ve done it

 **Nino:** there’s no way. there’s absolutely no freaking way.

 **Adrien:** You got Marinette to sleep??? How???

 **Alya:** nothing short of magic. and maybe a little force

 **Adrien:** That’s... concerning.

 **Nino:** force?? is she asleep or dead?

 **Alya:** honestly could be either at this point. i swear that girl is trying to kill herself.

 **Adrien:** Check her pulse. We have an exam tomorrow.

 **Alya:** it’s a miracle. she lives

 **Nino:** i’ll believe it when i see it.

 **Alya:** (1 attachment)

 **Alya:** there you have it. video proof that marinette dupain-cheng is asleep and breathing

 **Nino:** well i’ll be damned

 **Adrien:** She’s asleep. She’s really asleep.

 **Nino:** and i’m really €20 poorer

 **Adrien:** You know better than to bet against Alya

 **Alya:** thanks for playing ;)

* * *

Alya grinned down at the group chat as a new notification popped up. _New e-transfer from Nino Lahiffe._ With her best friend sleeping soundly against her, and an extra €20 in her bank account, Alya took it upon herself to take a well-deserved break. She started scrolling through TikTok, watching video after video before Marinette started to stir.

“Morning,” she smirked, watching Marinette sit up and rub her eyes.

Marinette took a moment, blinking the sleep out of her eyes before taking back her spot on Alya’s shoulder. “How long have I been out?”

“Maybe half an hour? Forty-five minutes at most.”

Marinette hummed in acknowledgement, not awake enough to argue that Alya should’ve woken her up sooner. Instead, she joined Alya in the rare moment of peace and watched over her shoulder.

> Baby, you’re like lightning in a bottle
> 
> I can’t let you go now that I got it
> 
> And all I need is to be struck
> 
> By your electric love

Alya and Marinette probably watched a million TikToks just like this one. The trend to surprise your best friend with a kiss became an instant favourite of theirs for very obvious, Adrien Agreste–related reasons. She knew there was no way Marinette would actually try to do the “Electric Love” challenge with him, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get a kiss for herself.

Alya tapped her cheek expectantly. “A little thank you for being the best bestie in the world?”

“I don’t know … You betrayed me, remember?”

“We both know you wouldn’t have slept if I hadn’t.”

Despite the childish pout on her face, Marinette leaned in and pressed a kiss to Alya’s cheek.

Alya smirked in victory. “Much better.”

“You’re the worst.”

* * *

Adrien gathered from all the teen TV shows and movies he watched that finals week was the bane of every student’s existence. Living in it, however, he experienced firsthand just how absolutely _soul sucking_ it was.

His body ached, he hadn’t had a full night’s rest in forever, and he hadn’t worn anything but Gabriel-branded hoodies for the past week. The only thing that kept him going was the fact that it would all be over in less than twenty-four hours. All that stood between him and sweet, sweet freedom was his history final.

If only he weren’t on the brink of collapsing.

At least he wasn’t suffering alone. Seated around Nino’s dining table as they tried to study, his friends were faring no better than he was. While Marinette dozed off, Alya was barely getting by with coffee being her only tether to the living world. Nino’s eyes were bloodshot behind his glasses after pulling an all-nighter to study, and even Adrien

himself was looking pretty ragged. Or rather, as ragged as his father deemed acceptable.

His father would never dare to send him to school looking less than presentable, but his hair wasn’t as neat as usual, landing somewhere between Adrien and Chat Noir. His eyes were dull and tired, and he hoped no one looked close enough to notice the concealer hiding the dark circles under his eyes.

Surrounded by the piles of worksheets, handwritten notes, and textbooks, the four looked like the picture definition of burnt-out students.

“Alright, Nino. This one’s for you.” Adrien looked up from the set of cue cards in his hands to nudge his best friend awake next to him. “Come on, you know this one! Who was the first president of the fifth French republic?”

When Nino perked up for the first time all afternoon, Adrien couldn’t help but feel hopeful. “De Gaulle! It was De Gaulle!”

He should have known better. Hope didn’t exist during finals week.

When Adrien offered his signature apologetic smile, Nino instantly deflated in his seat.

“Sorry, Nino … Everyone thinks it was De Gaulle, but it was actually—”

“René Coty … before the first elections …”

Everyone looked towards Marinette, who, before this moment, they had presumed was dead to the world.

Adrien blinked a few times, surprised that she a) was paying attention enough to answer and b) knew the right answer at all. “Y-yeah, that’s correct. Good job, Marinette!”

She gave nothing more than a hum of acknowledgement before burying herself further in her arms and promptly falling back asleep on the table. Within seconds, she was out like a light.

Next to her, Alya rubbed her back, her head resting on her travel mug. “This is hopeless. It’s not like we have a Tony-award-winning, historically-accurate musical like the Americans do. At this point, I’m better off just skipping the exam altogether.”

“That’s not true and you know it.” Nino sighed, hauling himself out of his seat to start another pot of coffee. “The final is worth forty percent of our grade. You’ll fail the class.”

Alya stared helplessly at the bottom of the now-empty travel mug. “Honestly, at this point? It’d be worth it.”

“Oh, come on. You’ll be fine,” Adrien reassured her. “You’ve got this in the bag.”

“Adrien. Sunshine. I love your never-ending optimism. You know that.” The threatening glare in Alya’s eyes told him otherwise. “But if you say anything remotely positive and or peppy again, I will not hesitate to strangle you myself.”

He definitely wouldn’t put it past her; he was perfectly aware of what Alya was capable of, and he liked his neck the way it was. There was only one thing he could do.

He held his hands up in surrender. “Duly noted.”

“Hate to be the bearer of bad news.” Nino frowned, looking impossibly more tired than when he stood up. “But I’m out of coffee.”

At that, Alya collapsed face-first into the table.

“Well … we needed a bit of a break anyways, right? Why don’t you guys go grab something from the café down the street?” Adrien offered, doing his best to prevent a full-blown caffeine-withdrawal-induced meltdown. “I’ll even pay for it.”

Alya’s head snapped up so fast, he was worried she got whiplash. Her eyes sparkled with something dangerously mischievous, and Adrien could only chalk it up to the free coffee he was offering. And yet, he couldn’t help but feel like there was more to it than that.

“And you’ll stay here, _alone_ , with Marinette?” she asked, a brow raised.

He looked over to the sleeping girl, who was too far gone to notice the two of them talking about her. Instead, she sighed in her sleep as she nuzzled further into her arms. Adrien smiled at the cute (wait, what?) gesture before turning back to Alya. “Of course. I don’t mind keeping her company.”

“Perfect.” Alya got up out of her chair, already more awake. “If you could wake her up before we get back, that’d be great. If you can’t get her up on your own, try watching some TikToks. Those’ll keep her awake.”

Adrien nodded before handing over €50. “Will that be enough for coffee and snacks?”

Alya only grinned, dragging her tired boyfriend towards the door. “More than enough. One round of cold brews coming up!”

Adrien chuckled as the door slammed shut and Marinette continued sleeping. He took Alya’s spot and tried to coax her awake.

“Marinette? Marinette, wake up.” He nudged her gently, only for her to continue sleeping peacefully.

“Maybe try putting some cheese in front of her. That should do the trick.”

Adrien jumped in his seat, clutching his chest as he glared at his kwami. “What are you doing?” he hissed, glancing over to make sure Marinette remained asleep. “What if you woke her up?”

“Isn’t that the goal?” Plagg asked, looking unimpressed. “If anything, I’m trying to help you.”

“It’s no help if it exposes my identity.” Adrien picked up his school bag and held it open for Plagg. “Now, get in.”

With his kwami out of sight, Adrien started to relax again, only to remember that he still had to wake up Marinette. He glanced at his phone. _TikTok, huh?_

Opening up the app, he let himself scroll for a while before noticing her stir next to him. _Huh. Who would’ve thought?_ He smiled to himself before turning his attention back to the videos in front of him.

Before long, Marinette slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“Good morning, Marinette,” Adrien said.

“Good morning, Marinette,” she mumbled back as she slumped against his shoulder.

He couldn’t help but smile fondly at her. He readjusted his arm so his phone was between them so she could watch too. Her eyes were half-lidded and her smiles were tired, but Adrien could tell she was enjoying them in between yawns. He was enjoying himself just by watching her reactions.

> Baby, you’re like lightning in a bottle
> 
> I can’t let you go now that I got it
> 
> And all I need is to be struck
> 
> By your electric love

Even though Marinette would have no recollection of what happened next, the moment would be burned into Adrien’s memory forever.

When he turned to her to see her reaction, Marinette was already facing him with her lips puckered. Her eyes were closed as her lips met his, sending a bolt of lightning through him. As she pulled away, Adrien found himself staring dumbly at her, stuck in an awestruck daze as she settled back against his shoulder as if nothing happened.

“B-buh …” Adrien’s brain short-circuited, leaving him to process why his face was

heating up, why his hands were suddenly clammy, and why it felt like he was going into cardiac arrest.

He remained paralyzed for what could’ve been forever. When he didn’t continue scrolling, Marinette pouted and sluggishly grabbed for his phone. It took her a few moments, but once she had her hands on it, her sleepy smile returned. Adrien was perfectly fine with that; he was practically useless in the state she left him in anyways. She happily watched TikToks on his phone while his brain tried to reboot.

From inside Adrien’s school bag, out of Marinette’s sight, Plagg threw his holder a smug, knowing smile.

If he wasn’t already screwed for the exam, he sure as hell was now.

Once he was once again functional, he wrapped a tentative arm around her, only relaxing when she hummed in approval and leaned into him. Adrien was so immersed in his own little world with Marinette and TikTok that he didn’t notice Alya and Nino return a few minutes later, cold brews and treats in hand.

“Adrien, I told you to wake her up, not _seduce_ her.”

He jumped, noticing the two of them for the first time. Nino was still staring in complete shock by the door while Alya handed out drinks with a smug smirk on her face.

“I-I did no such thing! I wouldn’t—she’s my friend!” Lucky for him, the teasing fell on deaf ears. Marinette was slowly sipping on her coffee, her eyes opening little by little the more she drank. Thankfully, she was still too tired and much too entranced by his phone to be paying attention.

Nino shook his head, clapping a hand down on his shoulder. “You’re helpless, dude.”

In the end, Adrien didn’t have a sip of his cold brew. He insisted that Alya needed it more because, really, he didn’t need it at all. Marinette’s kiss was just the jumpstart he needed.

**Author's Note:**

> Go and download the zine [here!](https://totographszine.tumblr.com/post/645570117308121088/the-day-youve-been-waiting-for-has-finally) I promise you won't regret it ;)
> 
> Come hang out with me on [tumblr!](https://mikachu-chu.tumblr.com)


End file.
